Micro-fluid ejection heads are useful for ejecting a variety of fluids including inks, cooling fluids, pharmaceuticals, lubricants and the like. A widely used micro-fluid ejection head is in an ink jet printer. Ink jet printers continue to be improved as the technology for making the micro-fluid ejection heads continues to advance. New techniques are constantly being developed to provide low cost, highly reliable printers which approach the speed and quality of laser printers. An added benefit of ink jet printers is that color images can be produced at a fraction of the cost of laser printers with as good or better quality than laser printers. All of the foregoing benefits exhibited by ink jet printers have also increased the competitiveness of suppliers to provide comparable printers and supplies for such printers in a more cost efficient manner than their competitors.
Micro-fluid ejection devices may be provided with permanent, semi-permanent, or replaceable ejection heads. Since the ejection heads require unique and relatively costly manufacturing techniques, some ejection devices are provided with permanent or semi-permanent ejection heads. In order to protect the ejection heads for long term use filtration structures are used between a fluid supply cartridge and the ejection heads to remove particles which may clog microscopic fluid flow paths in the ejection heads. Components attached to the filtration structures are provided to cooperate with removable fluid containers to provide fluid flow and fluid seals between the containers and the filtrations structures. Other components enable improved handling of the replaceable cartridges. For example, the fluid cartridges must be positively locked into a fixed position on the filter tower structures in order to feed fluid to the micro-fluid ejection heads without leaking. Accordingly, assembly of multiple components for multiple functions increases the cost of manufacture of the micro-fluid ejection devices. In view of the foregoing, exemplary embodiments of the disclosure provide a micro-fluid ejection head structure, method of sealing a removable fluid cartridge to a micro-fluid ejection head structure, and a cartridge carrier for removable fluid cartridges containing a micro-fluid ejection head structure. The micro-fluid ejection head structure includes a molded, multi-function member for attachment to the filter tower structure for a micro-fluid ejection head. The multi-function member has at least one biasing device retainer and at least one wick retainer positioned laterally adjacent to the biasing device retainer.
Another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for sealing a removable fluid container to a fluid flow structure for a micro-fluid ejection head. According to the method a micro-fluid ejection head and filter tower structure in fluid flow communication with the micro-fluid ejection head are provided. A molded, multi-function member is attached to the filter tower structure. The multi-function member has at least one biasing device retainer, at least one wick retainer positioned laterally adjacent to the biasing device retainer, and a sealing surface for providing a fluidic seal between the removable fluid cartridge and the at least one wick retainer. The removable fluid cartridge is sealingly attached to the at least one wick retainer.
Yet another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure provides a fluid supply cartridge carrier having at least one removable fluid cartridge engagedly disposed in the cartridge carrier and a permanent or semi-permanent micro-fluid ejection head structure. The ejection head structure includes a micro-fluid ejection chip, a filtered fluid reservoir in fluid flow communication with the micro-fluid ejection chip, a filtration structure fixedly attached to the filtered fluid reservoir for flow of filtered fluid to the filtered fluid reservoir, and a multi-function component attached to the filtration structure. The multi-function component has at least one biasing device retainer and at least one wick retainer positioned laterally adjacent to the biasing device retainer. A coil spring is engaged in the biasing device retainer for biasing the removable fluid cartridge in the cartridge carrier away from the filter tower structure when the cartridge is disengaged with the cartridge carrier.
An advantage of the exemplary embodiments described herein is that a unitary component may be used in place of multiple components to enable enhanced assemble of components for micro-fluid ejection head structures. Use of a unitary component eliminates several steps required for assembling a wick retainer and cartridge biasing device in a cartridge carrier structure. The unitary component also reduces lateral tolerances required between adjacent filter towers to which the structure is attached.